Britney perfume launch has sweet smell of success

Page Tools

When the marketing team at cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden was
given the task of launching Britney Spears's fragrance, Curious, in
Australia all they had to go on were the US ads, a pallet load of
the product and a clean slate.

Last week, the Australian Marketing Institute recognised the
strategy's success when Curious picked up a gong for new product
launch at the NSW Awards for Marketing Excellence.

"We really had nothing to go on … the brand had only just
launched in the US and we were only the second market after the
Americas," Curious brand manager Melissa Lyme said.

Rather than go for a traditional launch of a perfume brand - TV
ads, posters and a celebrity-driven launch - Arden researched the
target market of 16-24-year-old girls and then embarked on an
online teaser campaign.

Ads on ninemsn drove potential customers to its website,
becurious.com.au, and in the four weeks running up to the November
1 launch, 20,000 people registered for a sample.

Teams gave out free samples in shopping malls and tickets to a
free party, Club Curious, which was held two weeks prior to launch,
further raising awareness. A thousand girls turned up to the event
- an 85 per cent turnout - which was filmed live by Channel V.

"If we got a 1000 girls and they told five of their friends then
that would get the ball rolling," Ms Lyme said. It did. TV and
outdoor ads followed the teaser campaign.

In just four months the fragrance became last year's best seller
for Myer, which had exclusive rights to sell the brand, making
Curious Australia's most successful fragrance launch and reviving
Arden's fortunes in the process.

"We expect Arden to move up past Dior in the next year," said
Jo-Anne Mason, director of industry analyst Beauty Update.

"The combination of the appeal of Britney, a good fragrance and
multi-level marketing that included an internet approach and a
strong sampling campaign ensured the product's success," noted Ms
Mason, who said celebrity brands were driving the $610 million
fragrance sector.

Jennifer Lopez's JLO, Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely and Nicole
Kidman's appearance for Chanel No. 5 had all sold well, Beauty
Update said. David Beckham's cologne, Instinct, is launching soon,
as is a follow-up by Spears called Fantasy.